Each plantation who held captive of slaves in the United States were given a guideline called "Slave Codes". The codes outlined the rights, treatment, and rules that are acceptable regarding slaves(Olmsted, F. L., & Wish, H.1959). Treatment was characterized by degradation, inhumanity, and brutality. Slaves were called names that show a sense of denigration such as; monkey, worthless, and the most common name "nigger". According to Dictionary.com definition, "nigger" was a name generally used to dehumanize black people as humans beings. The treatments of slaves were varied, but the laws in slaves captivity left many enslaves without the power to defend themselves(Olmsted, F. L., & Wish, H. 1959). Many punishments often allocate in response to violation or disobedience, but in many cases, abuse was portrayed to demonstrate the power of the master. The novel Roots shows a demonstration of punishment when the main character Kunta Kinte was whipped many times because of not answering to the name he was given "Toby"( Haley,A &Dyson, M.E. 2007). Executions, rapes, abuse were a typical thing, and the deny of educational opportunities were usual for slaves; …show more content…
One of the slaves name Moses Roper a mulatto as well an runaway slave in the year 1838 tells her story about her father's wife almost killing her before her mother was ready to conceive; "I was white or black, and when my aunt had seen me, she returned back as soon as she could and told her mistress that I was white, and resembled Mr. Roper very much. Mr. Roper's wife being not pleased with this report, she got a large club stick and knife, and hastened to the place in which my mother was confined…… my grandmother happening to come in, caught the knife and saved my life. But as well as I can recollect from what my mother told me, my father sold her and myself soon after her confinement"( Roper, M. 2011). Moses was one of the children who has a father that was white and ended being sold because she was the slave master child. A sociologist would ask how does raping a black female would contribute to society? The relation between white women and black men were strongly prohibited sexually because it was against the term racial purity. Any black male found of raping a white woman would be put to death. Years after during the civil war racial inequality still remained a problem.